Soon, Ying, Paimon, and Jiang Mu arrived at the place where Zhongli was waiting for the Seven Gods statue.
"Mr. Zhongli, we've brought the perfume!"
Paimon waved his arms and said cheerfully.
"oh?"
Upon hearing this, Zhongli turned around and looked at Ying and Jiang Mu's hands, which were tightly clasped together. His eyes revealed a scrutinizing look, as well as a faint smile.
Ying keenly sensed this expression, and immediately, the girl blushed, lowered her head slightly, and quickly released the hand she was holding tightly...
For some reason, when facing Zhongli, the girl always felt as if she were facing an elder, and she felt very restrained...
"Hehe... I should congratulate you both."
(Tsuji Nobu: Perhaps it should be three?)
Zhongli smiled faintly and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Ying's face turned even redder, and she lowered her head even further, almost burying it in her chest...
(Tsuji no: No, no, it's not that big...)
………………
"Mr. Zhongli...it seems he was just staring blankly at the statue. Did I keep you waiting too long?"
Sure enough, at this point, we still had to rely on Paimon; this emergency food successfully steered the conversation off-topic...
"No, I didn't wait long."
Zhongli gently shook his head and said.
"Compared to the watchful gaze of the Rock King Emperor carved on the statue, this is but a fleeting moment."
Hmm, you subtly praised yourself. As expected of you, Mr. Zhongli.
Jiang Mu muttered to himself.
"Haha... How can a person be compared to a statue..."
Paimon smiled and shrugged.
"That's true..."
Zhongli nodded noncommittally, looked at Jiang Mu, and said.
"So, did you bring the perfume back?"
"Three portions of perfume, not one less!"
Paimon said proudly.
"Thank you both for your hard work."
Upon hearing this, Zhongli nodded in satisfaction.
"Let's offer the three kinds of perfume in order."
"good!"
Upon hearing this, Paimon nodded and obediently did as he was told.
As they laid them out, they kept reciting the characteristics of the different perfumes.
After offering the three fragrant oils, "Golden House Hiding a Beauty," "Mountain Shade Brocade," and "Ethereal Fairy Fate," in turn, the seven-day statue finally responded...
only……
"ah!"
Paimon exclaimed in surprise. Even Ying's eyes widened in astonishment.
"The Seven Gods... no, I should say the Rock King Emperor, actually chose the third type of perfume!"
"but……"
Ying said, somewhat embarrassed...
"That's a style that mature older women would like..."
Paimon hit the nail on the head.
"Could it be... that the Rock King Emperor is actually an older sister?"
"Uh...hehehe..."
Zhong Li smiled somewhat awkwardly...
"Maybe..."
"The Rock King Emperor has countless incarnations; perhaps, one of them is the Rock King Princess..."
Jiang Mu interrupted Zhong Li and spoke up, winking at Zhong Li.
"Am I right, erudite...Mr. Zhongli?"
"Indeed...that makes sense..."
Zhongli's eyes twitched as she managed to utter this reply.
"So, we've completed another preparatory task!"
Paimon exclaimed excitedly.
"What should we do next?"
"Next, I hope you two can borrow the 'Dust-Cleansing Bell' for me."
"Go borrow... the Dust-Cleansing Bell?"
"That's right."
Zhongli nodded and said.
"Now, the one who keeps the Dust-Cleansing Bell is a friend of mine. Her name is Granny Ping. She is near Yujingtai. If you ask her, she will know."
"OK."
Upon hearing this, Ying nodded and spoke.
"But this time, isn't Mr. Zhongli coming with us?"
"Well, I have some reasons why it's inconvenient for me to go, so I'll have to trouble you two, and also..."
"and?"
Paimon asked, puzzled.
Zhongli glanced at Ying, then at Jiang Mu, and smiled gently.
"What happened today has prompted me to reflect on my past..."
As he spoke, Zhongli's gaze drifted into the distance...
The return to the original place...
………………
Seeing this, Ying, Paimeng, and Jiang Mu all nodded, turned around and left, leaving Zhongli alone, lost in melancholy...
………………
"Life is unpredictable... life is so unpredictable..."
When the three of them reached Yujing Terrace, they saw an old woman murmuring to herself in front of a cluster of glass lilies...
Seemingly hearing their footsteps, the old woman turned around, looked at the group, and gave them a kind smile.
"Young people, are you here to admire the flowers?"
"No, I'm here to poop."
Although he really wanted to answer that way, Jiang Mu decided to abandon the idea of making a joke for the sake of his own life...
"What a pity, you've come at the wrong time..."
Before anyone could answer, Grandma Ping muttered to herself.
"What a pity you came at the wrong time. These glass lilies... are almost all gone..."
As she spoke, Grandma Ping sighed regretfully.
"Why have all these flowers withered?"
Paimon looked at the withered flowers behind Grandma Ping and asked in confusion.
"Back in my day, people said that the glass lily was sentient..."
………………
After chatting with Grandma Ping for a while, Grandma Ping looked at the group and said with a smile.
"It's been a long time since I've spoken to anyone, so I find myself talking more often... Young people, what brings you here?"
Upon hearing this, Ying thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Grandma, we'd like to borrow your... dust-cleaning bell."
"Oh, the dust-cleaning bell... it's an old item..."
Grandma Ping thought for a moment and then spoke.
"It is indeed with me, but I can't quite remember exactly where it is..."
"That was a little trinket that an old friend of mine wore when I was young..."
"He saw that I kept staring at it longingly, so he gave me the bell..."
"He told me back then that if anyone came to borrow this bell, I couldn't bear to part with it..."
………………
After that, Grandma Ping kept nagging for a long time, until...
"Look at this pot, all my belongings are kept in it..."
"All your possessions?"
Paimon looked at the pot, which was smaller than himself, and felt puzzled...
"How about... we put Paimon in there?"
Jiang Mu suggested.
"I can't get in! No matter how I try, I can't get in!"
Paimon stomped his foot angrily, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and said haughtily.
(Tsuji Nobu: Yeah, that's an old classic scene.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com